1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuit (IC) packages, and more particularly to a surface mountable microwave IC package which provides high performance with a very low cost.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The performance of microwave gallium-arsenide (GaAs) integrated circuits is limited by the package in which the ICs are mounted. Typical packages with a reasonable cost, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,115 issued May 7, 1991, entitled "COPLANAR WAVEGUIDE SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE" by Lester J. Moser, are usually limited in operating frequency, from DC to several gigahertz. Their functions and performance, such as surface mountability, loss, size, and other characteristics, leave much to be desired. High performance packages, such as the Hypcon described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,003 issued Mar. 10, 1981 entitled "ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR" by William E. Berg and the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,805 issued Dec. 2, 1986 entitled "SURFACE MOUNTABLE MICROWAVE IC PACKAGE" by Keith E. Jones, are very complex and expensive. The Jones package is preferred among international products. Its operating frequency extends from DC to twelve gigahertz, but the cost is very high.
What is desired is a low cost, high performance, miniature size, surface mountable GaAs microwave IC carrier.